This invention relates to a method of packaging articles in a container.
Articles of all kinds are commonly shipped in what is referred to as paper board boxes, sometimes referred to as boxboard, of a size selected in accordance with the size of an article to be shipped. Cardboard and paper boxes are generally made in standard sizes and sold to a shipper, either manufacturer or merchandiser, in unassembled flat form for ease of storage. In some instances a high volume shipper may have boxes of a specified size made. These will also be in unassembled flat form for ease of storage.
When needed, the boxes are assembled for shipping, the desired articles are packed therein with a selected filler and forwarded to a recipient.
To render the articles immobile or immovable in the container a filler of some type, commonly referred to as dunnage is packed about the article in the container. Paper or shreded paper has been used as a packing in the past to fill voids in the box around the article in the box. The use of small expanded plastic elements, often referred to as xe2x80x9cpeanutsxe2x80x9d is in widespread usage, but is expensive. Such peanuts may be ineffective for very heavy items in that they may not restrain movement of heavy objects. Additionally, they are environmentally difficult to dispose of. In some case, such packing has been used where a plurality of small items either boxed or not boxed are shipped in a larger box.
Such packing or fillers, while usually effective for the intended purpose are a nuisance to both the shipper and the recipient. The shipper must maintain a large inventory of packing material which necessarily requires much space. The recipient of the article has the task of disposing of the filler as well as the box. It is not uncommon thar the box is disposed of as trash with the filler therein. If there was no filler, the box could be knocked down and more easily disposed of.
In some cases, a manufacturer or merchandiser may use molded pieces of lightweight plastic having exterior dimensions complementary to the interior dimensions of the shipping box. Such molded pieces define an interior cavity shaped in accordance with articles to be shipped. This method of shipping is usually used in conjunction with higher priced articles of high volume. The molding or creation of such packing pieces places an additional cost burden on the manufacture or merchandiser and the molded packing pieces must define a customized cavity for each different article.
In many cases a manufacturer or merchandiser may wish to ship an article which is not amenable to conventional packing or filling and/or whose volume does not justify the cost of the molded cavity defining pieces for packaging, yet still wants to to secure and render the article in a standard size box.
The present invention provides a new and improved packaging system, method and components used therein for securing articles to be shipped within a standard shipping box without having to use dunnage or only a small amount of dunnage materials depending on the shipper""s specifications.
An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved system and components therefor for securing an article in a box without having to utilize a loose packing material or molded inserts.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method and inexpensive components used therein which are adaptable to secure almost any type of object in a selected size box without requiring dunnage.
A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved strap and anchor technique in securing articles in boxes for shipping.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved securing system using anchoring clips which serve as attachment points for interior strapping, cordage or wire which will restrain the object to be shipped in the container.
Briefly stated, the invention, in one form thereof, comprises anchor clips extending into a container through the bottom or a wall thereof, usually the bottom or even a corner thereof and defining an eye through which strapping is passed. The strapping is secured at its free ends by a joining device such as a friction buckle or compressible clamp and extends about the article to be shipped to secure it at a given location within the container. The anchor clips have a base, which engages an outside surface, or surfaces in the case of a corner clip, and an upstanding leg which extends through a slit in the container. The leg has at least one eye defined therein to receive the strapping.
The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. The invention, however, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be appreciated by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.